Happy Streaming

Happy Streaming

By now you may have heard about the new app that is owned by Twitter that is taking the social media world by storm. If you have not heard about it, here is a condensed Cliff Notes version.

Periscope is an App that is owned by Twitter and available by downloading onto your smart phone. It allows you to broadcast real time via live streaming anytime, anywhere (provided your internet connection is good) in the world. Not only can you do a live broadcast, you will engage with people watching you all over the world.

Here’s what you’ll need to start using Periscope as part of your marketing strategy, product demonstrations, or any live streaming opportunity!

How to get started with Periscope
1. Download the app for your mobile device… (yes you can use an iPad with Periscope).

Pick a Periscope name. This name will be your handle at Periscope, just like you have at Twitter and Instagram. If you signed in with your Twitter account, your Periscope name can be different from your Twitter name. I recommend that you keep your Periscope name the same as your Twitter name if possible. However, it’s not the end of the world if they need to be different, but telling people how to follow you is a lot easier if they are the same.

Pick some people or companies to follow. Periscope will make a few suggestions. Follow me – I am at @jyourkin or follow RISE MGI. When we live broadcast tips and tricks, we do it at the RISE MGI account.

Try your first “scope”! The button you want to press to begin a broadcast is the little camera with the red dot at the bottom of your screen when you are in the Periscope app. It is so small, you might miss it. It looks like this:

Once you press the red “Start Broadcast” button will appear, and you are prompted to write in your very important title. Here is what it looks like:

Naming your broadcast is an important step because it is what will attract your audience from their Twitter feeds into your live broadcast. If you did not connect your Twitter account to your Periscope account, the broadcast will not automatically tweet the broadcast for you, which is how you get viewers. When you start your broadcast, people who follow you see this title on their phones, as it pings them like a text. Write an engaging title with hashtags. The title length should be as long as a tweet. In other words, 100-140 characters. Keep it short yet informative. Here’s ours as an example:

After you have written your title with hashtags, press the Start Broadcast button and start broadcasting! You can end your broadcast by swiping down on your phone screen. You can also save your live broadcast to the camera roll to upload to your personal YouTube Channel.